2018 Commençal

META HT 20+

Top-quality fork and sorted kit for the cash, super-confident slack angle, big bar steering

Brutally stiff rear end upsets dynamic balance and control of the ride, short-reach frame by the latest standards, QR rear axle

The RockShox Revelation fork — it felt stiff enough and performed flawlessly throughout the test.

Swapping to some Michelin Wild Rock’R 2 tyres, when the bike then came alive.

Some of the last, late summer rides on the Meta HT after the three key spec changes were implemented — I felt every bit as confident hitting the same stuff I’d been riding on my full-suspension trail bike.

The first few rides when the Formula brakes started rubbing on the discs and eventually dragged me and the bike to a halt.

Any misjudged landings where you feel the lack of compliance in the rear end.

In fact, spot a rock on the landing of a jump and you’d better have an inner tube

In your pack.

Getting used to a 100mm dropper after being spoilt by a 150mm.